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A chef shocked a group of vegan protestors this week by carving up a leg of deer in front of them, saying he wanted to ‘offend’ them.
The animal rights activists were campaigning outside a restaurant in Toronto when the incident took place.
The restaurant – Antler Kitchen & Bar, in the city’s west end – is known for serving wild boar, venison, bison, and duck.
‘Humane meat?’
The protest was organized by activist Marni Ugar, who said she first became award of the restaurant when it advertised itself with a board outside saying: “Venison is the new kale.”
After researching the establishment, Ugar says she was unhappy with the owners’ claim to sell ‘ethical, humane meat’.
Speaking to local media, she said: “I don’t think there’s any such thing. It’s very misleading because they’re calling these animals wild animals, the deer and the boar, but they’re actually being farmed. So they’re not living in the wild. They’re just being bred and killed.”
Additionally, the menu features controversial ingredients like foie gras – which often comes under fire because of the inhumane way geese and ducks are force-fed to produce it.
Protest
Ugar – along with fellow activists – decided to protest outside Antler Kitchen & Bar in a bid to encourage the owners to replace some of the meat dishes with vegan options.
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Protestors organized a series of events, during which they would stand outside the restaurant holding placards .
It was during the fourth protest that Antler Chef Michael Hunter brought out the deer leg and started to carve it up on a table directly in front of the campaigners.
‘Shock’
According to Ugar: “We were in shock. For me, I felt sad for a few days after seeing that.
“He wanted to get us back, which I guess is easy to do. We’re only there because we love animals.”
Hunter told media outlet The Globe and Mail that the protests were hurting his business.
He said: “This is who we are and what we do. They’re offending us; I’m going to offend them. So I went and got a deer leg.”
